Many times I have said that God’s Word is almost always “Black & White.” It does not display much gray areas, at all. For instance the 12th chapter of Hebrews tells us in no uncertain terms: “Make every effort . . . to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).

The plain and simple truth is that without the holiness that is imparted by Christ alone—a precious gift we honor by leading a life devoted to obeying his every Word—none of us will see the Lord. This is not just referring to heaven, but to our present life as well. Without holiness, we will never see our Father’s presence in our daily walk, our family, our relationships, our witness or our ministry.

It doesn’t matter how many Christian conferences we attend, how many preaching tapes we listen to, how many Bible studies we are involved in. If we harbor a cancerous sin, if the Lord has a controversy with us over our sinfulness, then none of our efforts are going to produce any godly fruit. On the contrary, our sin will only grow more contagious and infect everyone around us.

Of course, this issue goes beyond all lusts of the flesh, to corruption of the spirit as well. Paul describes the same destructive sin when he wrote, “Do not complain as some of them did. The angel of death destroyed them” (I Corinthians 10:10).

So . . . will you allow the Holy Spirit to deal with all the lusts you may be harboring? Will you seek and trust in the escape that your God has provided for you? I encourage you to cultivate a holy fear and trust. It will keep you pure, no matter how loud the voices around you rage. It will allow you to walk in God’s holiness, which allows the promise of his enduring presence to remain.

It is all simply a matter of faith. Christ has promised to keep you from falling, and to give you sin-resisting power—if you simply believe what he has said. So, believe him for this godly fear. Pray for it and welcome it. Your God will keep His Word to you. You cannot break free from the death-grip of sin by your own willpower, or promises, or by any human effort alone. The said, through Zechariah, “It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies” (Zechariah 4:6)

Nickolas

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